Earlier this month College Promise celebrated it's 10 year anniversary. At their anniversary celebration they announced 15 recipients of the College Promise National Impact Award. This award honors programs that are transforming lives through access to higher education, career opportunities, and community partnerships. North Star Promise was one of the recipients and Office of Higher Education's (OHE) Nekey Oliver was in attendance to accept the award.
While the physical award lives at the OHE office, the program success is only made possible by the hard work of staff across OHE, colleges and universities, and high schools. A program like this can only be successful if people are aware of its existence and benefit from it. Thank you to everyone that helped administer, advise, and promote this life changing program.
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Our email distribution list makes up industry professionals in a variety of areas, from high school counselors to college administrators. Help us shape future content by taking a few minutes to fill out our three-question survey. This survey will give us a better understanding of what information is important to you.
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On October 27, Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach and Minnesota Office of Higher Education Commissioner Dennis Olson visited the manufacturing company Aagard in Alexandria. The company is a recipient of the Dual Training Grant, which has played a key part in recruiting new talent. The grant helps cover the cost of an employee’s education. Trainees are also able to put their education skills into practice by working part time until they graduate. Trainees said the tuition assistance is life-changing, allowing them to graduate virtually debt-free and ready to start full-time in their new career. Aagard currently has 17 employees benefitting from the Dual Training Grant.
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The FAFSA Tracker is going live the week of November 3! This incredible tool, managed by OHE, allows high school counselors to track the FAFSA process for individual students at your school. Each high school is invited to enter into a Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) with OHE, which allows us to share private student data with approved staff at the school. From there, staff are able to view who has submitted a FAFSA, whether it is in-progress or complete, and if a FAFSA was selected for verification.
Please visit the OHE website to learn more and to initiate the DSA process so you can utilize this new tool when it becomes available. If you have questions, please reach out to OHE’s Outreach and Communications Coordinator Libby Fahrenkamp at [email protected]
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In collaboration with the Tribal Relations Director, OHE Communications created a new landing page for American Indian Resources. The goal of this new page is to better highlight the many programs and resources available to American Indian Students.
Resources available:
- OHE financial aid programs
- Tribal education and scholarship programs
- Additional scholarships, grants, and resources
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For many college students, food insecurity is a daily concern. The Hunger Free Campus (HFC) grant program was established to address food insecurity at private, non-profit postsecondary institutions and tribal colleges in Minnesota. The fiscal year 2026-27 HFC request for proposals is now available. We are inviting all eligible colleges and universities to apply by November 13, 2025.
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The Financial Aid Team provided several sessions at the Minnesota Association of Financial Aid Administrators (MAFAA) Fall Training Day on October 21 in Eagan. Sessions included a State Update, training on Work Study and MNAid Tips and Tricks. Meanwhile, Meghan Flores attended the National Association of State Student Grant & Aid Programs (NASSGAP) Annual Conference in Alexandria, VA to offer a state update and participate on a panel discussing financial aid options for undocumented, DACAmented and students from mixed-status families.
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Minnesota Goes to College (MNGTC) offers free, virtual trainings for students and professionals across the state with the goal of helping the preparation, opportunity, and support for high school seniors.
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